Before you get too far, don’t worry—we won’t discuss political content here. Any time an election looms, social media becomes an endless stream of political ads, memes, and opinions. How do you find space for your content? Social media strategies during election seasons can be complex, and putting in some work can save you a lot of stress.

What’s different about an election season?

The internet is busy. The news cycles are endless, and media consumption is high. X, YouTube, and TikTok are full of opinions, and political influencers wield immense power over their audiences. In short, the internet is really busy, and it can be difficult to determine what the competition is doing, what your audience wants, and how to break through the noise.

Additionally, there is an even greater focus on misinformation, and the stakes are high. News publishers have a duty to their audience to provide the highest-quality journalism possible and make it accessible to their readers.

Reaching your audience and striking the right tone can be especially challenging in the lead-up to an election.

Election season opportunities (and risks) are real

Start by identifying the risks you will face. While your operation may not have changed much, the media landscape is even more contentious than usual.

Risks

There are always risks. One of the most damaging things a news publisher can do in a high-stakes environment is get the information wrong. Due diligence is key, and ensuring that your sources, reporting, and social distribution are accurate should be priority number one.

Many reporters and social managers have been tripped up by the race to get to the story first, and it’s worth the extra steps to get it right the first time. This may mean waiting for more sources, double-checking your research, or simply not hitting the retweet button on a juicy video before you know the whole story.

Regardless of how you do it, verify everything you can, triple-check your social copy for inaccuracies, and do your best to bring your readers fast, high-quality, accurate content.

Opportunities

The most obvious opportunity is the extra eyes regularly consuming news content. Election seasons are packed with scandals, soundbites, live coverage, and other fodder that provides a veritable smorgasbord of content—there is no such thing as a slow news day in the months and weeks leading up to November. Here are some ways you should be pulling together your team for a successful election cycle run:

• Organize your content. The higher the volume of content, the harder it will be for your audience to sift through it. By creating a landing page and separating out your election coverage, you not only make it easy for your audience to find what they’re looking for, but you also make your non-election content more accessible. Win-win.
• Live coverage. Whether you live-tweet debates and rallies or interview local candidates, there are many ways to integrate live coverage into your content strategy.
• Audience expansion. The large influx of new social media readers is always lovely, but finding ways to hook them long-term is the holy grail. Maximizing subscriptions, email signups, and other direct communications should be non-negotiable.
• Innovation. Experiment with Spaces on X by hosting an interview. Launch a new niche newsletter. Whatever project you’ve had simmering on the back burner for a while, you’ve got a new audience and a ton of content fuel. Try something new!
• Build your credibility. Go deep with your audience. Get to know them. Spend some time diving into your analytics and understanding your audience’s preferences. The better you are at building trust with your readers, the better off you’ll be long term. Make it a goal to become a must-read for your audience so they return after November.

How True Anthem can help

Social media strategies during election seasons are complex and will vary wildly depending on your brand. No matter what you have on your plate this season, True Anthem can help. We’ll help you get your content out consistently, efficiently, and effectively so you can worry about everything else. Contact us today to set up a demo!